Postscript

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Homegrown Media

To the Editor:

Thanks to the Flyer for Lesha Hurliman's Steppin' Out feature on the MeDiA digital arts cooperative ("Going Digital," May 9th issue). Morgan, Denny, Josh, and Brandon have offered themselves and their equipment to help others in the Mid-South make films. The crowd is varied in age, race, sex, style, and personality, yet there remains a communal bond. As an attendee of the Tuesday night salons, I can say it's another first for Memphis.

The oldest community radio station (WEVL) in the country is here and going strong. Memphis' AppleCore is the oldest Apple computer support group in the country (still meeting monthly here). And now MeDiA has joined that tradition. The new digital media capabilities are finally affordable or available through the co-op. Time will tell, but MeDiA is born and growing.

Jon Fox

Memphis

The Poop

To the Editor:

I will give you 10 minutes to try and save an industry that has been operating for 23 years. Can you guess which one? Ready, set, go. That's how horse-drawn carriage owners felt Tuesday, May 7th, when the city council voted 9-0 to approve an ordinance that will require horse-drawn carriages to park at least 100 feet away from restaurants. How did they do it? With the push of a button, I guess. Why did they do it? Because they were not paying attention to the 40-plus carriage supporters opposing the amendment. Maybe it's because some council members were talking on their cell phones during these precious 10 minutes. Maybe it's because one was reading a magazine. Maybe it's because two were talking to each other. Maybe it's because they had already made up their minds in a pre-meeting. Did I miss something or what? No, they missed something. This is an outrage. Is this really how the city council is supposed to work?

Heather Williams

Memphis

To the Editor:

As a professional travel agent and Memphian who is excited about downtown redevelopment, I attended the May 7th meeting of the city council to speak in opposition to the proposed change in ordinance that affects, among others, the horse and carriage business. I was not allowed to speak to the issue. More time was devoted to council members praising and providing gifts to their moms for Mother's Day than was allowed for discussion of the ordinance.

Memphis and Beale Street are home to a thriving carriage business, operated by several competing companies. It is pro-tourism, eco-friendly, and provides a family-friendly face along with transportation to tourists and residents alike. Adults and kids often stop and photograph the horses and dogs and wind up taking a ride. Location is the key to this successful entrepreneurship.

No one would even think about asking A. Schwab or any of the restaurants to move around the corner and up the block. Their location is important. High-profile locations are critical to the carriage operators since their business is impulse-oriented. Their friendly faces (horses, dogs, and drivers) are an asset to Beale Street, not a hindrance. The carriage businesses have long served downtown as it has redeveloped. Forcing them to change locations will only hinder, not help, local businesses.

Dallas Minner

Memphis

Oil Boycott?

To the Editor:

Mobs in the Arab world are ranting, raving, and rioting against Americans and burning our flag. Paying people to kill people, as Saudi Arabia is doing, is simply wrong. It is on the moral level of the Mafia. Why would we want to reward that? This is an excellent time to organize at least a partial boycott of Arab oil.

Those who are not part of the solution are part of the problem. If you could make yourself safer, save money, and have cleaner air, would you? Here are six ways to do it:

There are many things we can do as private citizens that will lessen our dependence on foreign oil and at the same time save money and freshen our air.

J.A. Kyle

Cordova

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.